24 December 2013

From our friends at the Dominicana Blog:

One More Sleep

December 24, 2013 | By: Br. Peter Joseph Gautsch, O.P.

In the classic film The Muppet Christmas Carol, when Bob Cratchit (in
a compelling portrayal by Kermit the Frog) is closing up Scrooge’s shop
on Christmas Eve, he suddenly begins to sing, as is his wont. He sings
about some things you might expect Kermit to sing about: magic in the
air, people loving and caring, the world smiling. After all, as the
refrain reminds us, “there’s only one more sleep ‘til Christmas.”

But I would like to bring attention to a line which is almost missed
unless you’re paying close attention. Just before Mr. Cratchit comes
upon the penguins’ Christmas skating party (excitedly crying out, “Oh!
It’s the penguins’ Christmas skating party!”) he sings: “It’s a season
when the saints can employ us / To spread the news about peace and to
keep love alive.”

We may not often think of the saints when we think about Christmas,
but maybe we should. After all, they’re celebrating Christmas too, and
much more fittingly than we. How? Not by giving gifts to one another,
but by praising God for his love, shown to us in the man Jesus Christ.
And the saints employ us to do the same.

We hear a lot about peace around Christmastime. But peace is a big
concept, the term is broad and vast. How can we fathom its real meaning?
Luke’s Gospel offers some insight. After the angel proclaims to the
shepherds the birth of the Savior,

suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the
heavenly host praising God and saying: “Glory to God in the highest, and
on earth peace among men with whom he is pleased!” (2:14)

The angel alone proclaims Christ’s birth, but is joined by a great
multitude in praising God for it. The saints, upon entrance into the
heavenly kingdom, join this worshiping multitude, singing that eternal
song of peace.

And again, in the Psalms we read:

I will hear what the LORD God speaks;
he speaks of peace for his people and his faithful,
and those who turn their hearts to him.
His salvation is near for those who fear him,
and his glory will dwell in our land.
(Ps 85:9-10)

The Lord speaks of peace for his faithful, and the heavenly multitude, angels and saints alike, speak of peace among men with whom he is pleased. This proclaimed peace is the kingdom of God which is at hand for us; it is salvation; it is Christ.

Salvation is experienced after this earthly life is done—but we can
begin even now, like the hungry traveler who, while still afar off,
smells the great feast being prepared for his arrival home. We do this
by faith, by turning our hearts to the Lord who now dwells among us. The
Word made man is the cause and culmination of the peace of Christmas,
which we experience by faith in the Incarnation.

After the lengthy interlude in which Bob Cratchit and his murine
friends admire the expert skating of the penguins, he continues singing.
Today we can join him, looking forward to tomorrow’s celebration of the
divine peace brought to us in the Incarnation: “Yes, faith is in our
hearts today / We’re shining like the sun . . . After all, there’s only
one more sleep ‘til Christmas.”

And although we celebrate Him as the King of peace, it is also mystically profound, that at His birth, no time is wasted before the sword is introduced. He is not all cuddly and warm, but right from the beginning the divisive sword of truth is revealed

Offered in solidarity with our Holy Father Pope Francis, his prayer intention for June 2017:

National Leaders. That national Leaders may fully commit themselves to ending the arms trade, which victimizes so many innocent people.

BENEDICTUS XVI, PONTIFEX EMERITUS

Open Wide the Doors to Christ

My open request and invitation to all pastors, especially in the Diocese of Pensacola-Tallahassee: please make the Sacrament of Reconciliation available regularly--at least more often than one hour on Saturday afternoon. Please dedicate 7:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. one weekday evening each week to the regular hearing of confessions.

About Me

Jody Finklea is a Lay Dominican, Roman Catholic father, husband and lawyer that lives in the Diocese of Pensacola-Tallahassee. Jody is also a fourth degree Knight of Columbus and an alumnus of The Catholic University of America School of Philosophy.